Tales From The Crate - DJNelson, you're living your last weeks being DMC world champion, how
was your year since the title ?

DJ Nelson -
It was great ! Obviously, I had a crazy year. I got a lot of
great gigs, even more than before. I've never thought that someone
should call me one day to play with Onyx in Guadeloupe, DJ Premier,
Alchemist ... this is unbelievable, I'm a fan of these groups or DJ's
and now I can share the stage with them ! These kind of gigs are
new for me and I owe it to the DMC. A world title only opens a
few doors, it's not some kind of magic stuff, but it helps to build
one's reputation on. It's really helpful with american artists who
have a lot of respect for the DMC.
And you know, perhaps it's not
really my last day as a world champion, nobody knows what the future
will bring to me (laughs) ...

TFTC
- You came in Tales From The Crate a few months ago
and told me that you didn't want to defend your title in the Battle
category in 2012 but you tought to be back later in another
category ... is it always true ?

DJ Nelson
- Really ? I told you that (laughs) ? Yes, it's still a
project, I'll do it for sure. But these days I need some time for
myself, I'm looking to new horizons, everything but DMC or
championships. I don't want to repeat myself or to work with elements
that I already worked with. I have to go somewhere else, somewhere I
never gone, looking for fresh stuffs. I'll be back for sure but
when ? We'll see ...

TFTC
- Last Year (in Tales From The Crate #102), you told us that you were well involved in social work, teaching scratch
to kids in schools or youth and community centers. Do you still have
time enough in spite of your world champion agenda ?

DJ Nelson -
Absolutely. I just finished the 2012 season in a few districts of
Strasbourg : Five weeks in a raw, each week in a different
neighbourhood. I tried to teach scratch to pretty young kids and
teenagers. To be honnest, to call it scratch lessons is a little bit too
much ! Most of the time, to bring them turntables and to show them
how it works is enough to make them happy. We talk about Hip
Hop, they often have wrong ideas about Hip Hop culture, from press
and TV. It's really important to explain them where the Hip Hop is
coming from, the history and what it means. Of course I know that
they won't be DJ's, I'm sure that most of them even don't really care
about scratch and deejaying, but I believe it's a good thing
to give them another image of the DJ than they use to see in TV
subjects about famous guys from the worldwide Electro scene ...

And in the other
hand, I learn a lot from them ! We're too serious about music
and kids are only about fun. It's a good way to step back and
think to my work with a fresh point of vue, helping me to go forward in my art.

TFTC
- Do you have a bet to make about Mixfitz in London ?

DJ Nelson -
I don't like this kind of game to be honnest. I deeply wish them good
luck, that's all. Everybody works a lot for the DMC world finals. I
mean everybody deserves to be first if you consider months and months
of work to be ready to go to London. Then it's all about stres, luck
and experience. For me, the most important is to enjoy yourself.
First of all, you have to go there for fun and, at the end, to don't
really care about the result. Go there and do your thing ... of
course a first place is something great but I think that being there
is already meaning something. To meet all these DJ's from all around
the world, talking about music and turntablism, it's pretty crazy !

TFTC
- You know how it's working in London, do you feel that Mixfitz is ready enough to win ?

DJ
Nelson - Tonight I felt them ready enough. They've great presence, crazy tracks, good technical level ... but as I said, you can't bet if you don't see every opponement. There are so many cool things that you can do behind turntables. The only thing I can tell you is that it's going to be an amazing DMC edition if everybody works like us for the world finals !

TFTC
- What could we wish you in the future ?

DJ Nelson -
Scratch and good health.

TFTC
- I didn't talk about New Year Eve's wishes (laughs) !

DJ Nelson -
Yes, I understood ! You maybe think it's funny but it's really
important to me, without health I won't be able to continue to work
neither to live my passion for scratch ...

I just finished a
Breakbeat with Gaston which will be released soon, I really hope that
every scratch DJ's will practice a lot with so you could also wish me
that it works well ! By the way I'm
pretty sure that's an exclusive news ! Wish me a lot of gigs
too, all around the world, helping me to bring french and belgian
guys to light. Fresh stuffs, Hip Hop stuffs ... everything else can
wait !!